Marjara means a cat. This asana is based on some mannerisms exhibited by cats, especially the ones they exhibit immediately after waking up from sleep.

The Procedure for Marjari asana Yoga Pose

1. Sit in Vajrasana. (Sitting position where buttocks are inside cupped soles of your feet).

2. Come to knees and place them at comfortable distance (the distance between shoulders).

3. Bend forward and place your palms cupped down on ground, straight below your shoulders. Now you stand on four legs.

4. Look straight forward. Take care not to open your mouth.

5. Inhale a little, raise your head and neck, and stretch your backbone as much as possible.

6. Raise your gaze to the highest point possible by you. Take care not to move your arms or legs.

7. After stretching, bend your backbone upwards and bring your head to between your hands. Forcefully expel the breath through your mouth. It is OK to produce a sound.

8. Close your mouth. Slowly inhale and come to the backbone-stretching pose once again.

Notes on Marjarasana

This asana gives flexibility to backbone, neck and shoulders. Good for chronic backache. It also good for all reproductive organs of women. Leucorrhea can be controlled with this asana.

This asana follows the mannerisms of tigers hence the name.

The Procedure for Vyakrasana Yoga Pose

1. Sit as if in Marjarasana (stand on four legs, hands and knees on ground).

2. Deeply inhale.

3. Keep the breath inside, raise the right leg backwards and parallel to ground.

4. Bend the leg at knee and point the toes towards head.

5. Slowly exhaling, bring the right knee forward towards the head. Bend your neck and try to touch the right knee with your nose. Don’t allow any part of your right leg touch the ground. Exhalation is complete as you touch the knee with nose.

6. Slowly inhaling, take the right leg back to its original position (knee on ground).

Rest a while and repeat the procedure on left leg.

Notes on Vyakrasana Yoga Pose

This is very difficult asana to accomplish. Practicing this three times on either legs is enough for beginner level practice.

This asana relaxes all the bones of vertebral column, strengthens waist and uterus.

Halam means a plough. The body assumes the shape of a plough while doing this asana. Purva Halasana is a preparatory pose for Halasana.

The Procedure for Simple Halasana

1. Lie down while keeping legs together and stretched in front, hands palm down and fingers straight.

2. While inhaling, raise your legs straight above your waist without bending them at knees.

3. Exhale slowly and bend your legs to above your face and beyond your head.

4. Return to lying position after reaching as far as you can.

With constant practice, you will be able to extend the legs far beyond your head and touch your thighs with nose.

Notes on Halasana

Tones waist, strengthens abdominal muscles and increases personal enthusiasm.

In this bandha (a lock), you lock prana (breath vital life force) in the upper torso.

The Procedure for Jalandhara Bandha

1. Sit on Padmasana or any comfortable meditation pose.

2. Bend your neck and bring your chin forward to touch the chest. The air inside will not escape.

3. Slowly raise your chin and straighten your neck.

Notes on Jalandhara Bandha

If you have pain at neck, you should not practice this. It strengthens brain and give exercise to neck. It also strengthens thyroid.

The Procedure for Agnisara Kriya

1. Sit on vajrasana. Spread knees wide apart. Keep buttocks on floor and the big toes touch together.

2. Fist your hands and place them just before your knees on the ground. (Imagine a sitting dog.)

3. Open mouth wide apart and push tongue outside your mouth.

4. Quickly breathe in and out through your mouth. You belly moves up and down as you quickly breathe.

5. Breathe through nose when you feel tired. Don’t continue if you feel slight tiredness. Rest a while and continue once again.

Notes on Agnisara Kriya

Persons suffering from ulcer, hernia, heart or blood pressure problems shall not practice this.

Cures gastritis and constipation. Strengthens liver and give exercise to all internal organs.

Merudandu means backbone. This asana is aimed at giving strength and flexibility to backbone.

The Procedure for Merudandasana Yoga Posture

1. Lie flat on ground with legs close together, hands by the sides, palms down and fingers and toes straight.

2. While inhaling raise both legs together to a height of 45 degree or more, bending at waist. Take care you don’t bend your legs at knees. Press the hands against the ground if you need more balance.

3. Slowly lower your legs as you exhale.

4. Give rest to both legs for a second by allowing them to fall apart.

Notes on Merudandasana Yoga Pose

This asana is good to reduce belly pot. It also gives strength and flexibility to backbone and muscles attached to backbone. Promotes digestion and nourishes internal organs.

This pose got its name because the legs of the yoga practitioner resemble the tail of a dragon fly or locust that is flying.

The procedure for Salabhasana, the Yoga Pose

1. Lay flat on your stomach. Keep the toes flat on the ground and chin on the ground.

2. Place your hands close to the body, making a fist that opens upwards.

3. Breathe in. Don’t inhale completely, as it can cause difficulties in this posture.

4. Slowly raise your legs. Hold them in the air for a second. The parts above navel region should be flat on the ground.

5. Lower your legs slowly as you exhale.

6. Repeat the cycle for five times.

7. Don’t allow any part above naval region to rise from the ground. Keep the head and shoulder down on the ground.

8. Go to savasana after repeating these steps for five times.

The benefits of Salabhasana Yoga Pose

Promotes digestion, regulates bowel movement, strengthens liver, intestines, kidney and pancreas; and regulates the activity of pancreas and prostate. It is also helpful in straightening any unnatural curves on the spine. It is also to be noted that persons regularly practicing salabhasana don’t get piles.

Notes

Ulcer and hernia patients must not practice this asana.

In this bandha (a lock), you lock prana (breath vital life force) in the upper torso.

The Procedure for Jalandhara Bandha

1. Sit on Padmasana or any comfortable meditation pose.

2. Bend your neck and bring your chin forward to touch the chest. The air inside will not escape.

3. Slowly raise your chin and straighten your neck.

Notes on Jalandhara Bandha

If you have pain at neck, you should not practice this. It strengthens brain and give exercise to neck. It also strengthens thyroid.

This is an exercise to develop, tone and strengthen the waist.

Procedure for Chakrasana

1. Stand erect with feet held close.

2. Make a fist on right hand and move the hand backwards.

3. Grasp the wrist of right hand with left hand while both hands on the back. Keep the hands closer to your body.

4. While inhaling, bend backwards as much as possible. Hold breath for two seconds while at this position.

5. Slowly exhaling, straighten up and bend forward. Touch your knees with your forehead. Don’t bend your legs at knees.

6. Raise your body as you slowly inhale.

7. Repeat the exercise by grasping your left wrist with right hand.

Notes on Chakrasana

Tones waist and straightens the backbone.

In this exercise, the entire abdomen is pulled towards the vertebral column. Nauli or Uddiyanabandham is not so commonly practiced.

The Procedure for Uddiyanabandham

1. Stand while keeping feet at comfortable distance. Cup the knees with corresponding hands. The body will be slightly bending forward.

2. Gaze should be straight at eye level.

3. Inhale deeply through your nose, completely exhale through mouth, and quickly close the mouth.

4. Pull all the lower abdomen towards vertebral column.

5. Relax after two seconds and breathe through nose.

6. Repeat after breathing is normalized.

Notes on Uddiyanabandham

Improves digestion, cures constipation, treats internal parasites and is good for diabetics.

This asana strengthens backbone. Meru dandu means backbone.

The Procedure for Ardha Merudandasana Yoga Pose

1. Lay straight on your back. Keep legs close. Hands close to body, palms down on ground and fingers straight.

2. While inhaling, slowly your right leg to 45 degree without bending at knees.

3. While exhaling, slowly lower your leg to its original position. Don’t allow the leg to fall down, slowly place it on place.

Repeat this exercise with left leg.

Notes on Ardha Merudandasana Yoga Posture

The toes must sharply point straight in front.

This exercise gives strength and flexibility to backbone. It also strengthens and relaxes the muscles on back.